Thinking about starting a business in Hagerstown, Maryland? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Hagerstown.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Finding Your Niche in Life.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Dolls Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Opening a Legal Secretarial Schools Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Hagerstown. If Hagerstown already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Study Hagerstown demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Hagerstown, Maryland Demographic Information
Hagerstown has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hagerstown demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hagerstown.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
6208 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3444 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2412 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1746 |
| 50-99 Employees |
576 |
| 100-249 Employees |
378 |
| 250-499 Employees |
48 |
| 500-999 Employees |
18 |
| 1000+ Employees |
24 |
| All Hagerstown Businesses |
14854 |
As a new Hagerstown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hagerstown for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get
a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that
you are pursuing.
| Business Type |
# of
Businesses |
|
Adhesive Manufacturing |
1 |
| Advertising Agencies |
1 |
| Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting) |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
7 |
|
Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
3 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
15 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
46 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
|
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
23 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
5 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
3 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
1 |
|
Business Associations |
6 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
|
Cement Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
4 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
14 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
7 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
15 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
|
Clothing Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
6 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
5 |
| Commercial Photography |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
|
Computer Systems Design Services |
12 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
3 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
3 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
5 |
| Convenience Stores |
7 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
|
Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing |
1 |
| Couriers |
7 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
5 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
7 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
|
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
5 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
19 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
9 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
29 |
|
Electronic Resistor Manufacturing |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
8 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
14 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
2 |
|
Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
4 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
28 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
10 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
18 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
|
Floor Covering Stores |
9 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
8 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
69 |
|
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
5 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
16 |
| General Automotive Repair |
26 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
9 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
4 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
11 |
|
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
19 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
5 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
3 |
|
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
5 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
2 |
|
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
37 |
| International Trade Financing |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
20 |
| Jewelry Stores |
16 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
5 |
|
Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
14 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
78 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
2 |
|
Machine Shops |
4 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
3 |
| Masonry Contractors |
8 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
|
Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
8 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
3 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
6 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
|
Museums |
3 |
| Music Publishers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
5 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
5 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Narrow Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
|
New Car Dealers |
12 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
6 |
| Office Administrative Services |
5 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
|
Office Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
6 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
13 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
9 |
| Offices of Dentists |
36 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
43 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
|
Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
11 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
3 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
|
Passenger Car Rental |
3 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
4 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
15 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
6 |
| Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
3 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Pulp Mills |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
3 |
|
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
6 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
35 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
4 |
|
Roofing Contractors |
6 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
8 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
5 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
|
Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
5 |
| Shoe Stores |
27 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
8 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
12 |
|
Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
7 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
9 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
|
Telephone Answering Services |
2 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
10 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
|
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
9 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
8 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
11 |
|
Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
8 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
6 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
3 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
2 |
|
Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
9 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
23 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Naming the Company
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Hagerstown, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Maryland business.
Forming a Company in Hagerstown, Maryland
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will select one of many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Maryland, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Maryland. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Hagerstown, Maryland, our web page covering Incorporating in Maryland may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Maryland.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Expert Advice on Business Plans. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Maryland.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Hagerstown, Maryland, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Maryland universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Hagerstown entrepreneurs.
Moving Forward
Most new Hagerstown businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Hagerstown and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Hagerstown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Hagerstown, Maryland
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hagerstown.
- Resources for Hagerstown, Maryland Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hagerstown entrepreneurs.
- Maryland Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Maryland.
- Maryland Small Business Development Center - The Maryland Small Business Development Center Network has six regional offices and more than 20 locations where Maryland entrepreneurs can receive comprehensive, resources and relevant assistance.
- Hagerstown, Maryland Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Hagerstown, Maryland newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Hagerstown area.
- Hagerstown, Maryland Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Hagerstown, Maryland area radio stations.
- Hagerstown, Maryland Payroll Services - This list includes Hagerstown, Maryland payroll services, national payroll services for Hagerstown, and helpful information on choosing a Hagerstown payroll service.
- Hagerstown, Maryland Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Hagerstown, Maryland, such as business brokers in Hagerstown and other helpful information on how to buy a Hagerstown business.
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